Running 2 trains

[Kjfisher32]

Good Afternoon

I am running the Rail Chief set but needed to acquire more track for my project. I need to run two engines and their cars on the same track. Is this even possible and would you recommend attaching the power and speed control at separate ends of the total track length to give the trains enough power. Any advice please. Thank You

[Yard Master]

Hi KJ,

If you want to run two trains at the same time using only DC power, you will need to either wire your layout with block sections, or build two completely separate loops, and use multiple speed controllers. To have complete control over individual locomotives on the same track, you may want to upgrade to using DCC locomotives and a DCC system, such as Bachmann's E-Z Command Plus.

There's no need to have your power and speed control at separate ends of the layout. Depending on the size of your layout and how many trains and accessories you have, you may need to consider wiring a power bus and feeder wires for a more consistent electrical connection.

[Kjfisher32]

My loop of the track needs to be connected because of the display. So I'm very new and have no knowledge about trains and or size of motors. Let me try the extra power source and see what happens???  I am taking the weights in each of the back cars to lighten the load a bit.
I will try to video and attach what the project is. This might give you a better idea?  Thanks for the advice

[Piyer]

My loop of the track needs to be connected because of the display. So I'm very new and have no knowledge about trains and or size of motors. Let me try the extra power source and see what happens???  I am taking the weights in each of the back cars to lighten the load a bit.
I will try to video and attach what the project is. This might give you a better idea?  Thanks for the advice

There is nothing wrong with being new to the hobby - we all were new once. We survived and learned, and some of did it long before the invention of the internet. You, too, will survive and learn, and with the help of the internet you'll be able to learn from our mistakes before repeating them yourself.

First, the weights in the cars are there for a reason. An important reason. The lighter the weight of a car, the more likely it is to frequently derail. For the moment, presume that your cars are at the minimum recommended weight for best operation, and leave the metal weights alone.

Second, layout wiring.... There are two common methods of powering a model train: directly and indirectly. Directly is when the powerpack (also called the speed controller) takes electricity from the wall, converts it to the proper current for the model, and sends it to the model's motor by varying the current in the rails: no current = stopped, 14+/- volts = racing at 100mph / 150kph. Ideally, you want it in the 1/3 to 1/2 range of the dial, as the faster it goes, the more likely it is to derail.

Indirect power is usually called DCC - short for Digital Command Control. Fancy name, but not as overly complicated as it sounds. DCC takes power from the wall, reduces it to a usable current, and sends that current to the rails, just like directly powered trains. The difference is that the current includes a signal intermixed with the electricity, and the electricity remains constantly at its maximum voltage.

Once this signal & current reaches the locomotive it first enters a decoder that reads the signal. It checks if the signal is addressed to that model - if it isn't, it ignores it, but if it is, it continues to read the message the signal contains. This message tells it how much current to allow to pass through the decoder to reach the motor. Depending on the model, the signal can also tell the model to play sounds, turn on lights, etc. For now, just focus on the message for the motor.

With both systems, you can run one or more powered locomotives at the same time, within the limits of a single powerpack / DCC system.

The difference is that directly powered trains (DC for short) all locomotives respond to the same changes in the current.

Whereas with DCC, the decoder address system allows each model to get its own speed orders, or you can group two or more powered models together with a group address to control them at the same time. To get similar independent operation on a DC powered layout, you would need to electrically isolate sections of track - called blocks - and wire it so that two (or more) powerpacks can be used at once - each powering at different block.

The easiest way to run two trains at once on a DC layout is to have two separate ovals of track, one inside the other, with no crossovers between the loops.

Bachmann does not appear to sell an introduction to the hobby book, so I am going to recommend Jeff Wilson's Getting Started in Model Railroading. It is available directly from the publisher's website https://kalmbachhobbystore.com/product/book/12495 - The first edition (red cover with people) and the current edition (bare plywood with trains) are available at a lower prices on Amazon and eBay.


And so..... Welcome to the hobby! There is a lot to learn, from basic wood carpentry, to advanced electronics and computer programs. You don't need to learn it all to have fun, and you don't need to learn the basics in a single day. I've been active in the hobby since 1984 (and playing with my uncle's Lionel trains since 1973), and there is still a great deal I've not learned, let alone mastered. But it's been a fun journey thus far.

Ask questions. If the answer isn't clear, ask more questions. This is a friendly bunch of modelers.

[trainman203]

I won't add anything to the excellent responses already posted, other than I've been at it since 1961 and still have a question every now and then about something or other.

The big hurdle for me was going to DCC operations in 2008 when I re-entered Model Railroading after several years out.  I didn't think I'd "ever" learn it.  But you can take it small bits at a time and eventually you get good at it.

Today I program just about every DCC steam locomotive in our region of the Gulf Coast. And there's still stuff I haven't learned about yet, but every few months I go into something new. Train and engine braking are next.